Bala Sanga

The Verdict

Operating out of a former garage—or glorified storage shed—is the very recently opened Bala Sanga, and it's an absolute blessing to the Balaclava region. They're providing top-notch sandwiches from their small brick shop front on a laneway just off the back of Carlisle Street. 

Born out of a desire through COVID to get a tasty sanga within their 5km radius, owners Mike Byard, Benny Britton, and Chef Mikey Harrison came together to convert this unused space at the back of their prized restaurant Pretty Little. “We’d always had this garage out the back of the property on the laneway, so I approached the landlord, they’d just had storage in it for twenty-something years... so it’s a bit of a something out of nothing scenario,” said Mike. 

The sandwiches on rotation at Bala Sanga combine the staples with their own chef-led spin, “Most of our inspiration has come from sandwiches that we love, or that we grew up on, we’ve just done our variations of the classics.” said Mike. 

Luckily for us, these variations provide a slew of tasty options to choose from, with a poached chicken number to a reliable salad sandwich with pickled vegetables, thick-cut aged cheddar and tahini. Their best-seller ‘The Bala Sub’ is an example of the culinary attention happening at Bala Sanga, with a French roll from the local Vietnamese bakery it's grilled with garlic spread and filled with smoked-Paprika meatballs, Napoli sauce, Asiago cheese, a green-herb sauce and sprinkled with parmesan. 

As well as the sandwich options Bala Sanga is also pouring coffee from the Code Black team and has a range of rustic sweet treats on offer like New York-style Chocolate and Walnut Cookies from local baking sensation Woodstock Bake House. 

Image credit: supplied